Stafford, VA – The George Washington Foundation invites visitors to celebrate the Foundation’s Centennial Anniversary with the Schoonmaker Concert at George Washington’s Ferry Farm. A popular variety of swing/jazz and patriotic music will be performed by the Lester Lanin Orchestra, an event that will be enjoyable for all ages.
Gates will open for the concert at 6:30 p.m. On-site food and beverage vendors will be available including Backporch Vineyard and Adventure Brewing, as well as local food trucks such as Martina’s Cantina. Please—no pets except approved service dogs. Coolers and alcohol may not be brought on site. Lawn chairs are encouraged.
Tickets are $10 and are available at: kenmore.org/events
Free parking for the concert will be available on site with the purchase of a ticket.
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One hundred years ago this year, a group of far-sighted women led the efforts to save Historic Kenmore, the family home of Betty Washington Lewis (George Washington’s sister) and her husband, Fielding, from commercial development. Following its successful campaign to save Kenmore from development, the Kenmore Association would continue to promote Historic Kenmore and raise funds for its ongoing preservation, collections acquisition, and related educational programming.
In 1996, the Kenmore Association and the community helped save another Washington family landmark, Ferry Farm, where young George grew to adulthood along the Rappahannock River. This acquisition sparked the adoption of a new name, The George Washington Foundation, to better reflect the expanded scope of the organization’s mission and museum properties.
Beginning in 2001 an extensive, decade-long restoration of Kenmore began, restoring the mansion to its historically accurate appearance circa 1775. At Ferry Farm, a full-scale archaeological excavation began in 2003, and five years later archaeologists announced the discovery of the remains of the Washington House at Ferry Farm. Construction of the Washington House replica over its archaeological footprint was completed in early 2018, and the home opened to the public in May of that year. The Washington house will soon be accompanied by reconstructed outbuildings – further transforming George Washington’s Ferry Farm into an outdoor living history museum highlighting the broader scope of Washington’s youth.
Over the past 100 years, Kenmore and Ferry Farm have benefited from archaeological research and preservation projects, enabling the Foundation to present both sites as living history museums, showcasing the significant impact of their residents’ lives and legacies on the United States and its history.
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The George Washington Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. The Foundation’s mission is to enhance the public understanding and appreciation of the lives, values, and legacies of George Washington, Fielding and Betty Washington Lewis, and their families.
Ferry Farm is located at 268 King’s Highway, Stafford County, Virginia.
Kenmore is located at 1201 Washington Avenue, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Visitors to Ferry Farm can tour the Washington House, view archaeologists at work, see the artifact conservation laboratory and tour the Visitor Center’s exhibit The Science of History at Ferry Farm.
Kenmore guests enjoy guided tours of the restored house with eighteenth-century furniture and accessories throughout its first floor. In the Crowninshield Museum gallery, a new exhibit explores the saving of Kenmore by the Kenmore Association. Visitors may also explore Kenmore’s extensive gardens.
George Washington’s Ferry Farm and Historic Kenmore are open every day, March – December.
View and enjoy the events and educational programs taking place throughout the Foundation’s centennial year at: https://kenmore.org/events.
Learn more from the Foundation’s archaeologists, curators, and educators on the Lives & Legacies blog https://livesandlegaciesblog.org.
